Learn From Us
by Ryu-Takehshi
Summary: Semi-sequel to "A Girl Can Dream", based off a great vid! Diego and Mia come to Phoenix in a dream and explain what he is missing, something that he could've learned from them. It's not enough to say that he loves Maya: How could he make sure she knew?


Learn From Us

By: Ryu-Takehshi

Game: Gyakuten Saiben Series (Post-Apollo)

Notes: This is a semi-sequel to "A Girl Can Dream", now with Phoenix's dream of the story. This was inspired by a totally EPIC, SICK, AWESOME, ROCKING (insert 100 more positive words of praise here) video I saw on Youtube by an (insert equal or more amounts of positive adjectives here) user by the name of: tj4real! It's called: "That's How You Know - Phoenix and Maya". It has the song "How Does She Know" from Enchanted and includes my favourite couple of Gyakuten Saiben: NickXMaya FTW - it's definitely worth watching! Well, here we go: I hope everyone enjoys it (and reviews/fav's/anything good really). I don't own any rights to Gyakuten Saiben because, if I did, Maya would've been Trucy's new mom by now!

I can't say I haven't had this dream before… In fact, it's probably the most frequent kind of dream I ever have. I close my eyes and fall asleep as "Hobo-Nick" Ex-Ace Attorney; and I wake up to my old office and Wright and Co. Law Firm.

The spikes in my hair are done up perfectly, instead of being suffocated underneath that blue hat I'm always wearing nowadays. I'm wearing my sharp blue suit and, shimmering beautifully on my chest, is my attorney's badge. The one thing that proved I was exactly who I was: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney.

Well, in my dreams anyway…

And, in my dreams, I can sit at my old desk and feel memories rush back with so much intensity that, when I awake, I'm sometimes moved to silent tears. At my old desk, I can see Charley's thin branches swaying slightly and the poster of that movie Mia Fey, my long-gone mentor, loved so much - that one that I never got around to seeing. I can see the law books and old records that always mocked me whenever I used to look at them.

And the one, single thing that can always be expected in those sweet, memory-filled dreams, is the entrance of my former assistant: Miss Maya Fey. (At least, I _think_ she's still a Miss.)

But, in this one particular dream, as I waited for Maya (and maybe Pearl as well), neither appeared as the door to my office opened.

"C-Chief…?" I exclaimed, standing from my seat.

_This was new. Maybe I should let Apollo choose the restaurant more often._

There, standing at the door to my office, was none other than my former mentor: Mia Fey, Maya's older sister. And, this was what made me think twice: Mia was Mia… She wasn't being channelled by Pearls or Maya; it was _actually_ Mia.

She stretched her arms out and I stepped into a brief hug. "Phoenix, what do you think you're doing, just hanging around here? It's been much too long, hasn't it?"

"Well, of course… How long has it been since you died?"

"Not just that," she gave me a stern look, "I'm talking about you and the court as well… You can't hide forever in these dreams of yours, you know."

"W-wait… HOLD IT! What…?"

She scoffed lightly, "You don't think I can't see…? I'm not stupid Nick; as if you're beaming at that attorney's badge wasn't evidence enough."

"Nothing gets by you Chief…" My gaze dropped to the floor and my expression darkened.

Mia put her hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up. "It's not your fault Nick…" she said sympathetically, "You didn't know."

"If I was a better lawyer, I would've noticed…" I muttered bitterly.

Mia sighed, "I don't get it Nick. If these dreams are any indication of what you really want, why don't you make it happen?"

"What do you mean...?"

"You're Ace Defence Attorney Phoenix Wright for heaven's sake!" she exclaimed, "Fight for your _own _innocence!" She shook her head, "And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"Hmm, who else…?" To be honest, I didn't really need to ask. I already knew who she was talking about and, in fact, I didn't even really need an explanation. But, I needed to hear it from someone else - even if that someone is the ghost of my mentor in a random dream I'm having.

"I've been watching from heaven Nick. I've seen little Trucy, she's so cute… I'm pretty sure she feels the same way I do. I can see why you like keeping Apollo and her around."

I beamed like the proud father and mentor I had now become as Mia went on. "They remind me of you and Maya… back in the good old days, right Nick?" She laughed, "And remember: you're continuing a legacy by taking a protégé!"

"Just remember who started that legacy, _Trite_." a smug male voice called from the doorway.

I tilted my head and I swear my eye twitched a little when I saw who was at the doorway. I don't even think I believe it now.

"M-Mr. Armando…?" I exclaimed.

_ Okay, forget what I said before… Apollo's definitely NOT choosing the next restaurant we eat at! I wonder what kind of dream Trucy's having…_

Diego Armando stood at the door, still bearing his visor as Prosecutor Godot from that trial so many years ago.

'Hazakura Temple…' I shuddered at the thought.

I eyed Mia in my peripheral vision; she had a shocked expression and teary eyes. I looked back at Mr. Armando, whose smug smile had turned to a shocked expression as well.

"K… Kitten?!" he muttered.

Mia gasped quietly, "D-Diego…"

He bolted over to Mia in a flash and nearly crushed her with a hug. Although, Chief didn't really seem to mind; she was streaming out tears as she clung onto him, whimpering and laughing and crying all at once.

_ New thought: There is no way in frickin hell that Apollo is EVER choosing the restaurant to eat at again!_

By the time the two were done, and Mia was through with crying (although, I do think I saw some tears in Mr. Armando's eye as well), Mia wondered, "D-Diego… what're you doing here?"

Raising my hand, as if I were back at school, I added, "That's also something I want to know… if you don't mind."

Mr. Armando looked at me, then at Mia, and then around the office before returning his gaze at Mia. "I didn't know at first but, seeing as you're here with Wright… I guess I'm here to back _you_ up on whatever, Kitten…" He turned to me and scoffed, "You've got some pretty messed up dreams to deal with Wright…"

I sighed, "I let Apollo choose the restaurant, okay? Sue me!"

"I just might…" he laughed as I shook my head. Lawyer humour. Gotta love it.

"Well," Mr. Armando nodded, placing a hand on Mia's head, "Take it away Kitten."

"H-huh…?" she blinked.

I had to admit, it was amazing to see Chief so unfocused. I guess that was just the power of love for you… Crap, did I actually just say that?!

"I heard you from the hall." Mr. Armando continued, "something about… your sister, right?"

My eyes lit up, "Maya…?"

"Oh right!" Mia nodded, smiling up at Mr. Armando, "Thank you…" She turned back towards me, "Nick, you took in Trucy because she reminded you of Pearl, didn't you?"

I turned away; I hated her ability to read me like a book.

"And then, when Apollo came along… It was you and Maya wasn't it?"

"Wright…!" Diego bellowed, "Why can't you see the obvious?!"

"Diego's right Nick… You want things to be the same again, don't you? That's what led you to adopt Trucy and that's what made you choose Apollo as an apprentice. They're your reflection... aren't they?"

I smirked, "You guys make a better team than me and Maya." I sighed, "And you're right… I _do_ miss how things used to be. Why wouldn't I? The times behind the Defence bench… cross-examining a witness, especially one like Larry, Detective Gumshoe, or Lotta… squaring off against Edgeworth, or Franziska and her dad, or… even _you_ Mr. Armando… I miss the rush you get when you point your finger and yell: OBJECTION or TAKE THAT or HOLD IT… I even miss the times outside of the courtroom. Just being with Maya and Pearls, investigating the crime scenes or finding hidden information from witnesses. And, those peaceful times of watching the Steel Samurai with Maya or catering to her every stomach, which seems to hold a different food for each one… why wouldn't I miss all of that…?!" I could feel a lone tear slip down my cheek and splash onto the floor below me. It may have been in a dream, but I could swear that I was crying in reality too.

"Phase one complete Kitten." Mr. Armando joked.

"Yep…!" Mia nodded, "N-Nick c'mon! Don't cry!"

"A word of advice Wright: A man can only cry when it's all over."

I smiled faintly, "Chief, you said that to me on my first case…"

"Who do you think said it to me on _my_ first case?" she shrugged, nudging Mr. Armando with her elbow. "Anyway Nick, sorry to pull one of your own tricks against you."

"W-what…?"

"Take a taste of the medicine you've been passing to the Prosecutor's bench, Trite… it's a bluff."

"A bluff…?" I shook my head, "No but… I really _do_ miss everything… everyone…"

"Getting someone to tell more truth than they have to, just by a certain choice of words…? Did you teach him that, Kitten?"

I scratched the back of my head, saying, "Yeah, I really don't have any idea what you guys are talking about."

"Nick, don't you think you miss _someone_ a little more than everything else…?"

_ Wow Mia, I wouldn't have EVER noticed that subtle emphasis on the 'someone' part of that sentence._

"C'mon Wright, we can't have any lying in this testimony!" Mr. Armando laughed, "Perjury's an offence."

"Just like forgery…" Mia added.

_Ouch, too close to home…_

I was silent for a long while. For the record, I knew _who_ they were talking about; you don't become an Ace Attorney for being stupid (even though I have bluffed most of my way through cases).

Breaking the silence, I muttered quietly, "Maya…"

"Ding-Ding-Ding, we have a winner!" Mia laughed.

"Oh, so Wright loves the little acolyte, huh?" Mr. Armando nodded.

"L-loves…?" my face went red, but I convinced myself that Trucy had just put an extra blanket on me. "N-no, it's nothing like that…! Maya's just, y'know… my best friend…"

Mia sighed, "Didn't we just say: no lying?!"

"I'm not lying!" I protested, "Maya _is_ my best friend!"

"Maybe we should've been clearer Wright." Mr. Armando cocked his head, "How about: no using words to get around the truth… You've dealt with lots of witnesses like that."

"Nick c'mon, seriously now!" Mia pressed on, "You can't deny that you love Maya!"

"As a sister or something…" I shrugged, "but that's all there is to it."

"I remember all those times you stood up for her, Nick." Mia added. "You would do anything for her…"

"Like a brother for a sister…!" I persistently clung onto my line of thinking. Thinking back on it now, I can't really believe I thought it was the truth.

"Hey Kitten, don't tell me you've forgotten the things I've taught you!"

"And what might that be, Diego?"

"We're all lawyers here. We've all been behind that defence desk, and I've been behind the Prosecutor's as well. But it doesn't matter which side you're on, the same rules applies."

"Are you gonna say something about coffee…?" I had to ask.

He gave me a bitter smile, "Cute Wright, real cute… Obviously what I'm talking about is evidence! If you're going to say anything, you have to have the proof to back it up!"

"Oh right…!" Mia nodded, "You see Phoenix, when you're out of court for so long; this is what happens!"

I rolled my eyes, "Uhh… right Chief." It would probably be better not to mention that I hadn't forgotten _anything_ about evidence; especially since it was the one thing that cost me my job.

"For example, here's my evidence. Why'd you try and cross that burning bridge for her?" Mr. Armando asked.

I gave him a confused look and he nodded in reply. "Yeah Trite, I still remember that case."

Before I could answer, Mia continued, "This should be pretty decisive as well!" She handed me a card. "You've never seen this before Phoenix… I think Ms. Von Karma hid it from you, or she may have given it back to Maya."

Mia was holding a white card and she handed it to me. At first, I thought I _never_ wanted to see that card ever again.

"Shelly De Killer's calling card…? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"You're not going to get it if you don't look at it!" Mia shoved it into my hand.

I sighed and peered down at it. It was… different, that's for sure. That horrible pink shell that had caused me all kinds of stress was strangely comforting when I saw what was drawn over it: a crude yet cute drawing of my face with "Nick" written in none other than Maya's handwriting.

"Maya trusts you so much Nick." Mia explained, "She knew that you would save her no matter what. _She_ loves _you_ for making her feel safe."

This literally came as a shock to me. "Maya… _loves_ me?"

Mr. Armando smirked, "Amazing, Kitten… simply amazing."

"Yeah Phoenix…" she said softly, "I'm completely positive that Maya loves you…"

"She never said anything…" I muttered, shaking my head, "All of those times… and, s-she never said _anything!_"

"That's because _you_ didn't say anything Wright!" Mr. Armando said in his 'objection' voice. I looked up instantly as he stood, arms folded, and glaring at me through that visor of his. "Maya wanted _you_ to say something first!" he went on. "But if you weren't such an idiot, you would've realized that while she was still here!"

I looked to the floor.

"Damn it Wright!" Mr. Armando exclaimed, "It's not enough for _you_ to know that you love her. You have to make it known to her or else the feelings pointless! She's a spirit medium, not a mind reader!"

"Diego's right Nick, _you_ love Maya, don't you?" Mia smiled softly.

"I…" I hesitated for a moment and gulped.

_Man, what was in that stupid food at the restaurant Apollo chose?!_

"Y-yes…" I finally answered, "I love Maya."

Mr. Armando and Mia both sighed, "Finally…!"

My face was red again as I went through all of the times when she was at my side, or I fought for her lack thereof. Everything these two had said was completely true and I finally understood. Not only did I miss Maya… I loved Maya. These dreams I've been having are reflections of what I want, and that's probably why Maya's entrance into my office is my favourite part of every dream. I would say it a million times: I love Maya Fey! But, I guess when it comes to love; you can't really doubt these two. Death did them part a long time ago and their still together.

"Well, is this all there is to this dream…? Am I gonna wake up soon, so I can return to my life _without_ Maya?"

"Not yet Phoenix…" Mia answered.

"What…? Was that _another_ bluff, are you going to say that I'm not supposed to love Maya? I hope you know that it doesn't matter what you say: I'm still going to love her."

Mia gave a smile full of gratefulness. "No Phoenix, we're not going against your love of Maya right after we just proved its existence. But, Diego said it before: it's not enough to just say or think that you love her. She has to know!"

"Take a page out of my book Wright; I used to bring Kitten her coffee every morning."

_Coffee, really…? Raise your hand if you didn't see that one coming._

"It's great, beyond awesome, that you love Maya." Mia beamed, "But how come she's not with you taking care of Trucy or teaching Apollo? Phoenix, how come you didn't tell her that you lost your Attorney's badge?"

I couldn't answer and I hoped it was just another rhetorical question that Chief loved to throw at me.

"Maya knows that she loves you. In fact, she's probably known way longer than you have; just like how I knew way before Kitten!"

"But… how does Maya know that _you_ love her?" Mia asked with a worried expression. "Poor thing, she must have been waiting for so long for you to say something."

I shook my head, "Every time… every time someone teased us about being together, I made Maya pretend that she didn't like it… or she wasn't supposed to like it. And yet, she still went on smiling."

Mia smiled at Mr. Armando, who smiled back with the same pride as two happy parents with a straight-A student. "At last he's starting to get it." Mia sighed tiredly.

Mr. Armando's arm went around her waist. "They can't all have a love like ours Kitten."

"What a world that would be…" she said dreamily.

Mr. Armando kissed her forehead. "What, indeed…"

"You see Nick…?" Mia asked. "That's how _I_ know, but how does Maya…?"

"How does she know, Trite…?"

I could hear their voices fading away. I looked up and the office and they, themselves were doing just that. I could still hear the echoes of their voices, however.

"How does she know, Nick…?"

"Trite, how does she know…?"

"How does she know…?"

"How does she know…?"

"How do _you_ know…?"

_HOLD IT! That wasn't Mia or Mr. Armando's voice. It was… Apollo?!_

"I just know okay!"

My eyes slowly opened at the sound of that little girl's… _my_ little girl's voice. "T-Truce…?"

She giggled brightly, just like a certain other bubbly girl that I love. "I told you Polly! I told you that daddy was almost finished with his dream!"

"Oh, good morning Mr. Wright…!" Apollo waved.

I slowly got up and looked around; I was sleeping on the couch and Trucy and Apollo were surrounding the table in front of me. As I got up, I felt a wet droplet fall from my cheek.

"D-daddy, you're crying!" Trucy exclaimed, producing a tissue from absolutely nowhere (my little magician, of course). "We're you having a nightmare?"

I shook my head, "Nah Truce…" I messed her hair up with my hand. "It was one of the greatest dreams I've ever had…"

"Oh, so that's why you slept till eleven in the morning." Apollo nodded.

"Eleven in the morning, huh…?" I questioned as I stood and walked towards the kitchen where the phone was.

"Did we wake you from your nice dream daddy? Sorry…" Trucy apologized.

"It's alright Truce; the dream was finished already…" I told her as I put a hand on the doorknob. I needed to get to the phone and make possibly the most important phone call in my entire life. I needed to call Kurain Village and tell a certain someone just how much I love her. I needed to tell her what she should've known a long, long time ago. I'm going to tell her. Chief… Mr. Armando… by the end of today she'll know… That's how she'll know…

I paused for a moment, however, and turned to Apollo. "Hey, we're having a guest eat with us tonight, so…" I smiled to myself, "Apollo, why don't you choose the restaurant we should eat at…?"

Hoped everyone liked that! More props go to tj4real for making an awesome video! This fanfic's for you dude!

~Ryu-Takehshi (Youtube nickname: Bleachgirl999)


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